If you’re looking to buy a gaming laptop, you might be thinking, how long do gaming laptops last? This query is, in fact, a very crucial one to consider alongside knowing the pros and cons.
In this article, we’ll be looking at the average lifespan of gaming laptops, the factors that affect this lifespan, and some tricks that will help your gaming laptop last somewhat longer than average. Read the full article to get all your questions answered.
Contents
How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last?
A well-built gaming laptop is seemed to last for six to seven years. However, the best answer that dictates the gaming laptop lifespan is strictly dependent on a list of factors that includes manufacturer, model year, overall build, and also overall usage also plays a pivotal role in determining the expected lifespan.
What Factors Affect the Lifespan of a Gaming Laptop?
There are a number of factors that affect the lifespan of a gaming laptop, but broadly they can be broken down into three categories.
- Hardware Quality
- Your Usage
- Maintenance
All the factors that can affect the lifespan of your gaming laptop are under the umbrella of these three categories. By knowing what factors can affect the time span you can use your gaming laptop, you can understand what to do and what not to do in order to keep using your laptop for as long as possible.
– Hardware Quality
The quality of the hardware in your gaming laptop has a significant impact on the user experience and the life span of that laptop. There are a number of variables in hardware quality that impact the lifespan of a gaming laptop, such as the CPU, the GPU, RAM, Cooler, etc. Let’s take a look at how these affect a gaming laptop’s lifespan.
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The CPU
The CPU of a gaming laptop has one of the most significant impacts on the lifespan and the running of a gaming laptop. Having a good CPU is necessary for a gaming laptop to perform well for an extended period of time. In case the CPU is not up to par, the lifespan of that laptop will also see a sharp decrease.
In order for a gaming laptop to keep operating at the optimum level even after a couple of years, it is imperative that the CPU be of good quality and a new model. Nowadays, most gaming laptops use processors manufactured by either Intel or AMD due to their superior quality.
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The GPU
The graphics processing unit (GPU) of a gaming laptop is of vital importance because it allows you to use high-level graphics without putting excessive load on the CPU. Gaming laptops come with the latest dedicated GPUs because the average life of a GPU is around three years when used regularly for gaming, so you cannot expect it to last a long time.
Depending on how much you use a GPU, whether you’re playing games or using rendering software, the GPU lifespan might deviate a bit from this average. If you don’t use too many graphic intensive programs, you can expect the GPU to continue giving a good output for a more extended period of time.
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RAM
The RAM of your gaming laptop also plays a great role in determining its lifespan. The games and programs being developed these days require a lot of RAM to properly run on a laptop. Due to this, most laptops manufactured for gaming purposes come with at least 8 GB of RAM, but most often, they have 16 GB of RAM.
Since RAM is responsible for your laptop running programs efficiently and without any lag, having a higher RAM will mean that you can use your gaming laptop for longer than a gaming laptop with lower RAM.
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Chassis
The chassis of a gaming laptop refers to the framework that holds the components of the laptop. The chassis holds all the components of a gaming laptop in their exact slots and allows them to work in an efficient and practical manner.
The build quality of the chassis is a big factor in ascertaining the lifespan of a gaming laptop. If the chassis is not of good quality, the chances are that the body or framework of the laptop might end up damaged in just a couple of years. Having a good quality chassis is crucial if you want to get some mileage out of your gaming laptop.
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Cooling System
The cooling system of a gaming laptop is perhaps the most important aspect that determines the lifespan of that laptop after the CPU and GPU. Like any electric machine, laptops also produce heat by consuming electricity. Since gaming laptops are manufactured to be used in high-end processes and graphic-intensive games, the heat produced by these laptops is also more than a normal laptop.
For this reason, most mainstream gaming laptops come with high-quality cooling systems that are responsible for removing the heat from the laptop before the components get damaged. The better the cooling system present in your laptop, the longer you can use your laptop. Otherwise, you’ll certainly face problems relating to burned-out components due to the heat produced.
– Usage
After the hardware aspect, one of the biggest things that impact the lifespan of a gaming laptop is its usage. Depending on how you use a gaming laptop, it might last for just one year or even more than six years. It all depends on the type of work you do on your laptop and whether you’re careful with your maintenance or not.
If you use your laptop to play games regularly for long periods of time, it is probable that your laptop will last for a smaller time period when compared to someone who doesn’t put such a load on a gaming laptop of the same model.
– Maintenance
Before you start feeling intimidated by the thought of having to perform maintenance on a high-end, sophisticated gaming laptop, let us help ease your mind.
The maintenance we’re talking about does not feature any complicated aspects, and you can easily do this at home or at your office.
But doing routine maintenance on your laptop can allow it to keep performing in a great manner for a long time. Let’s take dirt as an example. Accumulation of dirt particles on the components of a gaming laptop can have adverse effects on its performance and life expectancy, but it is very easy to stay safe from this issue with a little bit of routine maintenance.
For dirt on the outside of the laptop, you can just use a microfiber cloth to wipe it away. But if there is dirt accumulating inside of your laptop, you can use compressed air to clean your laptop by focusing the air along with the vents and ports of the laptop. This will clean out all the dirt that is inside the laptop.
FAQ
– How Can I Increase the Lifespan of Any Alienware Gaming Laptop?
Whether you own a gaming laptop made by Alienware or other companies like MSI, Lenovo, HP, etc., there are some tips and tricks that you can use to prolong its lifespan. Some of these tips are:
- Pick the laptop that gives you the most bang for your buck in terms of hardware.
- Heat management so that your laptop doesn’t get damaged.
- Regular cleaning to prevent rust and degradation.
- Charging your battery when needed. Don’t keep it plugged in.
- Updating your RAM and SSD after a couple of years.
- Getting regular software updates.
Using these tips, you can easily extend the lifespan of your gaming laptop by a few years, even if you don’t replace your RAM and SSD. Regular cleaning and maintenance also go a long way in extending your gaming laptop’s lifespan.
Having said that, the average lifespan of a gaming laptop revolves somewhere around six years does not mean that a gaming laptop becomes obsolete after this time. This just means that after roughly this amount of time, your processor and GPU will not be able to optimally run newer game titles and pieces of software that get developed later on.
If you want to use your old gaming laptop for day-to-day usage, then you can keep using that laptop for even longer if you shift your gaming hobby to either a new gaming laptop or a gaming PC.
– Do Gaming Laptops Degrade Over Time? Know the Truth
Like any other machinery, gaming laptops also have an average life expectancy in which they can be assumed to perform at their most optimal level. Depending on the quality of the hardware and how you use your gaming laptop, you can use it for gaming purposes for easily a few years.
After that, you’ll note your gaming laptop is facing difficulties in running newer games and pieces of software. The reason for this is that the CPU and GPU used in gaming laptops are not built to last for a long time; instead, they are manufactured so that they provide an optimal experience for a few years.
So if you are using a gaming laptop, it will do you good to keep in your mind that your laptop will start facing a decline in its processing speed a few years after you purchase it. You can delay this degradation to a point by getting a high-quality gaming laptop, as well as by performing routine maintenance on your machine to ensure that it keeps on running in an optimal condition for as long as possible.
– Does a Gaming Laptop Last Longer Than A Normal Laptop?
It’s possible for a gaming laptop to last longer than a standard laptop, but it is also equally likely that a regular laptop outlasts your gaming laptop. Consider the time for which Alienware laptops last; you’ll find that the numbers are actually greater than several generic ones.
There are a lot of factors that can affect the life expectancy of both typical and gaming laptops, but the chief factor in determining whether a gaming laptop outlasts a normal laptop is the usage and maintenance of both laptops.
If you use your gaming laptop carefully and perform routine maintenance on it, it’s entirely possible that your laptop could last longer than a gaming laptop used in a heavy-handed manner.
– Does a Gaming Laptop Last Longer Than A Gaming PC?
As a rule, gaming PCs are created to be more durable than gaming laptops, and there are a number of factors behind the reason why gaming PCs last a lot longer than gaming laptops. Ultimately the difference between the lifespan of gaming laptops and gaming computers turns out to be the difference in the build quality and components. Gaming PCs have features like fans and coolers that allow the processor, motherboard, and GPU to work for a long time.
In comparison, gaming laptops tend to have smaller fans and cooling units which results in a greater chance of the laptop heating up. So, where a high-end gaming laptop can last for around 6 or more years after careful usage, gaming PCs can last much longer even when using them to regularly play high-end games.
In essence, gaming laptops usually fall apart in a short time compared to a gaming PC of similar specifications.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though a gaming laptop only lasts for around three to five years on average, there are a number of ways you can use to prolong the lifespan of your laptop by a margin of a few years. The tips and tricks shared in this article will help you get the most out of your gaming laptop while preserving it in the best possible condition as long as it can be optimally used.
- Gaming laptops have a lifespan of three or six years on average.
- This lifespan depends on a lot of features; therefore, it can vary depending on the hardware quality, your usage pattern as well as your maintenance routine.
- Using some tricks like heat management, regular cleaning, and RAM replacement can go a long way in prolonging the lifespan of your gaming laptop.
With that, you now have enough information about the lifespan of gaming laptops.
